Scottish Green MSPs are calling for wage rises to help address the problem of food poverty in Scotland, as new figures from the Trussell Trust show the use of food banks has risen by two-thirds over the last year.
The trust issued emergency supplies on 117,689 occasions in Scotland last year – including 18,000 times in Glasgow and 14,000 in Edinburgh.
Patrick Harvie, Scottish Green MSP for Glasgow, said: “These figures are sobering. It’s clear that the dismantling of the benefits system, the unfair sanctions regime and the low pay economy we now have are all playing a part. It’s simply unacceptable in a country with so much wealth and so much good food.
“An immediate step we could take is to stop subsidising employers who pay poverty wages. Let’s make the minimum wage a Living Wage right now.”
Alison Johnstone, Scottish Green MSP for Lothian, said: “Benefit sanctions, falling wages and an insecure jobs market are all having a big impact. Tackling in-work poverty is paramount.”
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